Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Maybe it's a nod to people tired of legalese, but a new memo sent yesterday on behalf of Schriever Air Force Base, from the desk of 1st. Lt. Skylar Streetman — a young lawyer recently moved to Colorado Springs, according to her blog — is surprisingly direct.

"While the people of Colorado have voted to change their state constitution, the [Uniform Code of Military Justice] remains unchanged," writes Streetman. "The mission of the U.S. Air Force is of paramount importance, and Airmen who use marijuana are neither prepared nor suited to carry out that mission."

The reason for the scornful memo is, of course, the passage of Amendment 64 last November. And while it doesn't lay out any new territory — a previous colonel made similar noises in 2010 — the memo has a certain style to it. Like here, where Streetman seemingly talks skeptically about the road Gov. John Hickenlooper and others have gone down in recent months:

"Although federal law supersedes legislative initiatives of local governments, Colorado government officials stand behind the decision of their electorate despite growing concerns over the federal implications of this state constitutional amendment. While there has been no significant federal government enforcement response to the legalization of marijuana in Colorado to date, this inactivity does not negate the possibility of federal government action in the future."

And then there's the whole "neither prepared nor suited" part that's clearly not worried about the veterans committing suicide in ever increasing numbers, soldiers who may have found relief from their emotional trauma through marijuana use.

"Bottom line, the DOD will continue to use random urinalysis testing as a means of detecting marijuana use by military and civilian personnel," writes Streetman, "and commanders will continue to have the authority to bring the full force of the UCMJ against those Airmen who choose to use, possess, or distribute marijuana."